Every week we’ll have a look at a handful of various hitters who fantasy managers ought to contemplate choosing up in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. Many of those gamers may have probably the most worth in bigger leagues the place waiver wire choices aren’t as plentiful. Nonetheless, they might additionally often be helpful additions in different, extra standard-sized leagues relying in your choices at their place.
All roster percentages talked about on this column are by way of FantasyPros as of Wednesday afternoon.
Leody Taveras – 2%
Should you’re searching for stolen bases, look no additional than Texas Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras.
Taveras stole 23 bases final season in 151 video games and 529 plate appearances, including 12 house runs whereas hitting .229 with a .289 on-base share, offering the Rangers and fantasy managers alike with high quality energy and velocity manufacturing.
His batting common manufacturing this season is in keeping with what he did final yr, however he’s continued to steal bases at a excessive fee.
The 26-year-old is batting .219 with a .242 on-base share and 5 stolen bases up to now in 11 video games and 33 plate appearances. Moreover, he ought to proceed to see loads of alternatives within the Rangers outfield with Wyatt Langford not too long ago touchdown on the injured listing.
Solely three gamers – Oneil Cruz, Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong – have collected extra stolen bases up to now this season. And if Taveras’ 2024 stolen base manufacturing is any indication, he ought to stay close to the highest of the league leaderboard in stolen bases.
Harrison Bader – 3%
Sticking with outfielders, Harrison Bader’s barrel fee is a probably important improvement up to now.
The veteran outfielder entered play Wednesday batting .300 with a .323 on-base share and three house runs in 31 plate appearances.
When given constant taking part in time, greater than 400 plate appearances in a season to be particular, Bader has offered strong house run and stolen base manufacturing.
Harrison Bader’s MLB Seasons With 400 or Extra Plate Appearances
Up to now this season, the veteran is sporting a 20.8% barrel fee on 24 batted balls. In whole, he has 5 barrels up to now, precisely 1 / 4 of his barrel whole in 2024 and the identical variety of barrels as Austin Riley, Shohei Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki. The 5 barrels are additionally greater than every Mike Trout, Christian Walker, Julio Rodriguez and Lawrence Butler.
With the early-season barrel manufacturing, Bader makes for an intriguing early-season waiver wire possibility if his barrel fee can keep near double digits shifting ahead.
Sal Frelick – 13%
With hitters who are likely to make loads of contact (and never an excessive amount of in the best way of loud contact), their respective batting averages can fluctuate a bit based mostly on BABIP numbers.
When that type of hitter’s BABIP is markedly excessive, it may be time to maintain them in your lineup till the manufacturing begins to taper off a bit.
That’s precisely the case in the mean time for Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick.
He might solely find yourself being a streaming possibility for fantasy managers in deeper leagues, however he may assist win just a few early-season matchups in head-to-head leagues.
The 25-year-old is hitting .375 with a .457 on-base share and a pair of stolen bases in 46 plate appearances as of the start of play on Wednesday. He’s sporting a .441 BABIP with only a 13.0% strikeout fee and a .356 xwOBAcon up to now.
Like Taveras final season, the stolen base manufacturing is nothing new for Frelick. The outfielder stole 18 bases in 145 video games and 524 plate appearances final season, hitting .259 with a .320 on-base share and two house runs within the course of.
Maybe most crucially for fantasy managers, Frelick has hit fifth in every of his appearances for the Brewers this season.
Anytime a participant is hitting in the midst of a lineup, it’s a particular optimistic fantasy-wise, however Frelick is doing so usually hitting behind some mixture of Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang and William Contreras within the first 4 spots within the lineup.
Yelich is off to a gradual begin however logged a .373 xwOBA and a 153 wRC+ in 315 plate appearances final season. Contreras too is off to a gradual begin this yr, with a .515 OPS in a 42 plate appearances, nevertheless it’s simply that, a 42-plate look pattern dimension for a batter who completed within the ninetieth percentile in xwOBA final season.
Chourio and Turang, in the meantime, are off to sturdy begins in 2025. Getting into play Wednesday each have logged no less than 47 plate appearances and each are no less than 43% above league common the place wRC+ is anxious up to now.
So long as Frelick continues to hit fifth regularly, he’ll see loads of RBI probabilities shifting ahead – one thing that actually received’t damage his fantasy manufacturing, notably whereas his BABIP stays so excessive.
Graphic by Carlos Leano.
